SRINAGAR: In a grand show of diplomatic pageantry, United States President Donald Trump arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday morning to a lavish reception hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, marking the beginning of a high-stakes 4-day tour through the Gulf. At the heart of the visit is what the White House has called “the largest defence sales agreement in history”—a staggering $142 billion arms deal between Washington and Riyadh.
“The United States and Saudi Arabia signed the largest defence sales agreement in history—nearly $142 billion—providing Saudi Arabia with state-of-the-art warfighting equipment,” the White House said in a statement, underscoring the scale of the deal that includes military systems, weapons, services, and associated commercial exports such as gas turbines.
The agreement, signed during Trump’s first overseas trip of his second term, sets the stage for deeper US-Saudi economic and strategic ties and comes as part of a broader $600 billion Saudi commitment to invest in the United States. “We like each other a lot,” Trump remarked during bilateral talks with the crown prince.
The defence package reportedly incorporates a recently approved $3.3 billion sale of 1,000 AIM-120C-8 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles for the Saudi Air Force. These missiles, manufactured by RTX Corp in Arizona, are part of a wider US strategy to bolster allies in the Gulf region amid ongoing instability.
The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency said the sale will “support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that contributes to political stability and economic progress in the Gulf Region.”
Trump was welcomed with symbolic Saudi ceremonial flair—a lavender carpet, traditionally clad guards, Arabian horses, and fighter jet escorts in the skies above Riyadh. The lavender motif, a relatively new royal protocol introduced in 2021, symbolises national pride and springtime rebirth across the desert kingdom.
Inside Riyadh’s Royal Terminal, Trump met the crown prince in an opulent marble-columned chamber adorned with gold-trimmed armchairs. They were served Arabic coffee by attendants wearing ceremonial belts, marking the start of a series of high-level engagements.
Trump was joined by top officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Major American business figures such as Elon Musk, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, and Palantir’s Alex Karp were also in attendance at a parallel U.S.-Saudi investment forum.
The president’s visit is focused on securing more investment from Gulf nations into American sectors such as artificial intelligence, energy, and real estate. Trump is reportedly targeting over $1 trillion in deals across Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE—countries where his family business empire also has pending projects, including a skyscraper in Jeddah, a luxury hotel in Dubai, and a golf and villa development in Qatar.
Critics have raised concerns about the blending of personal business interests with national diplomacy, especially as Trump is also expected to accept a Boeing 747-8 luxury aircraft from Qatar’s royal family—a move that is already under congressional scrutiny.
The trip comes at a time of strategic rebalancing in the region. Trump’s Gulf-focused diplomacy—skipping Israel altogether—has raised eyebrows, particularly after his administration failed to notify Israeli leaders in advance of major decisions, including a temporary halt to airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthis and secret negotiations with Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, blindsided by the moves, has said Israel will act independently if necessary. “If others join us—our American friends—all the better,” he noted following Trump’s Houthi ceasefire announcement.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia is signaling its own limits. Prince Mohammed’s recent meeting with Palestinian Vice President Hussein Sheikh is being interpreted by analysts as a caution to the US—normalisation with Israel will not progress without tangible steps toward Palestinian statehood, especially amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Trump’s choice of Saudi Arabia for his first foreign visit echoes his 2017 strategy during his first term, when he fostered warm ties with Gulf monarchies and cemented his position as a preferred partner of oil-rich states. This week’s visit aims to revive that legacy, with Trump projecting himself as a dealmaker who blends diplomacy with bottom-line results.
But questions remain about the long-term viability of this transactional approach. Oil prices are significantly below the fiscal break-even point for Gulf budgets, with Brent crude closing at $64.77 per barrel on Monday—raising doubts about how long OPEC+ can sustain increased production without jeopardising domestic stability.
As the formal dinner and business summits continue through the week, Trump hopes the spectacle and signatures will send a message to both domestic critics and international rivals: America, under his watch, still knows how to do business—on its own terms.
